Although eating disorders are one of the most-discussed mental health problems in the media, the global impact of eating disorders is consistently underrepresented, and marginalised or underserved populations are left out of the conversation.

This is the first ever global day dedicated to eating disorders, and professionals from 40 different countries and activists from all over the world are taking part. It could not have come soon enough for us here in the UK where the number of young people hospitalised for an eating disorder has doubled in the past three years.

Eight months after moving to Denmark, I'm now straddling that crepuscule between things being novel and others becoming the norm, so in this lucid moment I wanted to jot down a few observations, about my experience of Denmark and, more importantly, about the people who hail from it - an invitees examination, if you will.

If you have a relentless sweet tooth, next time you're hit with a craving, stop and take stock of what exactly is going on at that present moment. Accept that 'yes I really want chocolate right now' but ask yourself why. There's always something else driving the desire for a sugar fix - especially if the desire is sudden, strong and all-consuming.

I'm what waiters, dinner party hosts and anyone who can't mind their own business might call a dietetic pain in the ass. In the last few years, I've become a prolific giver-upper of things, which can sort of make me difficult to cater for. It does not however, make me difficult to be around.

These days my comfort eating is a little more healthy. I can't eat chocolate, or cakes anymore. So when I comfort eat I lean to nuts, health bars, yogurts...but I do still comfort eat although not as much and I am learning to control it.

New year's resolutions were always tough for me. They were my starting point by which I sought to lose weight, become a "better anorexic" and seek new diet which would get me to a lower weight if the current method hadn't got me low enough.

I worry about my health, I know I could die, I know I could lose out on life and opportunities if I am not well enough to grasp them with both hands. It's a spiral and it's all spinning around my head and it's making me dizzy. I'm constantly out of breath. Exhausted. Exhausted by this mental illness.

Persistently eating too much or too little can be symptomatic or indicative of an eating disorder, but what many people don't appreciate is that food is just one factor in an eating disorder. While they're characterised by disordered eating habits, ultimately eating disorders are serious mental health illnesses.

I didn't care about anything other than food and calories, I couldn't hold a conversation with my family, I lost interest in my passions: dance, fashion, writing and creativity. It all disappeared. I wasn't me, I was wholly anorexia.

MGEDT continues to receive emails from male sufferers from across the UK and around the world several times a week. In many of these emails we hear from sufferers who are isolated and feeling 'like the only one'.

We do not struggle with food because we are broken, we struggle with food because we haven't yet personally understood our own equilibrium. Our relationship with food is dependent on both biological and psychological factors, and we need to discover for ourselves how each of these factors affect us.

From roast turkey, tins of sweets and mince pies - the temptation for excess of food is irresistible for many. However, for those suffering with anorexia and bulimia, the constant reminders of food can feel like never ending pain and torture. The time to be joyful is anything but that.

An eating disorder not only manifests itself physically, but also psychologically. It is an extremely complex mental illness that often takes many years of both physical and psychological treatment, in order to recover.

In 2012, I decided that due to a number of significant events going on in my life it was time to try and continue treatment again. Despite my initial referral taking place in December 2012, I didn't see anyone till October 2013. When I did, I was told by the NHS mental health trust that I wasn't ill enough to meet their very strict criteria.

The illness is characterized by compulsive, out-of-control episodes of eating followed by shame, guilt and depression has long been underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. BED can be perceived 'less serious' than anorexia and bulimia, therefore diagnosed as Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS).

In the world of food and writing, I'm an al dente moaner, a social commentator looking through the holes of glazed ring doughnuts. There's no doubt, after all, that the life of someone who feels the need to write about the world around them tend to have a keen eye for the most delicious foods, often in the largest quantities.

The one thing that is constantly present across all of these functions is food. As a result a lot of people overeat, binge eat and gain weight over the holidays. Yet, this time of year is not only difficult because of the abundance of food but also due to emotions.

Not so long ago, these dark evenings covered up a darker secret of mine, a secret that would sometimes invoke panic as these festivities drew closer, a secret that often robbed me from experiencing life to the fullest. A secret known by the name of binge eating disorder.

Until something is changed, men will continue to be excluded for the eating disorder treatment loop, forcing them into dangerous cycles which only grow in intensity, often leading to very poor outcomes. How many more need to suffer before our society stands up, takes note and realises we have a problem and something needs to be done about it?